Auburn, ME - This is our first installment of our new series "My Story" featuring CM basketball players.
My name is Corey David and I am from Ocala, Florida. I started playing basketball since I was a young kid but was not sure which sport I wanted to pursue, soccer or basketball. It was a toss-up in 8th grade and what changed my mind was when the varsity coach of my high school came to my middle school game and told me that I have a spot on his team if I changed my jump shot. It's because I shot from my chest and not from the top of my head, so it was easier for me to get blocked at that level. From the first day of freshman year I had to be in the gym at 7 am in the morning with my coach and literally form shoot with the ball over my head and I would sit there for 2 hours a morning and just rep it out. After about a few months I had a new jump shot and it felt to shoot like a "normal" player. So, it helped me a lot. My freshman year I was a swing player, JV to Varsity but mainly Varsity. Going into my 10th grade year I was officially a varsity player, started all games, played 32 minutes a game, and named captain as well. I was a gym rat like I am today. All, I wanted to do was work on my game. I wanted to make sure I was putting in the necessary work to get where I wanted to go. So, going into my junior year right before the season, we were playing an alumni game and I tore my ACL during it. I was out my whole junior year. I had to train 12 hard months to get back and ready for my senior campaign and wanted to make sure I could get out of there and play college basketball because I did not know what else I was going to do if there wasn't basketball.
I went to a prep school called Game on Rise Academy where my old high school assistant coach started it. It was a good experience for sure. I got bigger, stronger, my skills were up, and I was physically and mentally ready to play college ball. So, our daily routine every single day except weekends went as the following: 6am conditioning, 7:30 weight room, then we go back home take a nap until 12:30 for shooting workout and then ACT study at 2 and then regular practice at 5. After my season I had a few offers but most of them fell through. That's when I got the call from Coach Dixon and he offered me to come up and play for CM. They watched my film and they liked it. I didn't take a visit or anything. I just got on a plane and went up.
My first year was probably the best year I had at CM in more of personal way. I met some of my best friends in my life to this day. My first year was kind of rocky because I had to find my way and understand that I couldn't do everything on my own. I thought I knew everything because where I am from basketball is very big and it's a whole different style of play. But overall, we had a good year and came up short in the semifinal's vs Vermont Tech. All of our guys worked hard, and we played for each other. Every single night we grinded with each other and got better. The biggest thing I learned from this year that if you work hard and build relationships then it will benefit you in the long run and you will have friends that last a lifetime.
My second year was when I did a whole 360. I came back with a different mindset and changed my whole attitude towards everything. That's when I built a very strong relationship with Coach Gonyea and from there the rest is history. I was undecided where I was going to go next for my next 2 years to finish out my college career. So, my goal this year was to earn a scholarship and after the year I had multiple offers. I decided to wait until the end of the year to figure out all of it. It was a good year, we had a good record, and then we lost in a heartbreaking way to NHTI on a buzzer beater after clawing back from a crazy first half. It was one of the craziest games I've played in because I was fresh off an injury and was not 100% yet but I could not let my teammates down. After that year I went back and looked at all my offers and sat down and narrowed it down to two schools. I decided to verbally commit to Brewton Parker college which is a NAIA school in Georgia, and it was a full ride. I was a little skeptical at first because CM has been my home for the past two years and it's the best decision I ever made and did not think I would ever find anything else like it. Even though it was a full ride and a higher level, one of the most important things that stuck with me through this whole journey and coach always said to use as a team is that "you don't really know what you have until its really gone". That spoke volumes to me, and I had sat down and really understand how good I have it here. I am the captain of the team, I have the key to the gym, key to the weight room, I was playing a lot of minutes, great relationship with my teammates and coaches and staff, I had my own room, I have my best friend for life on the same team and his name is Malik, everything was extremely close and most of all, it felt like home. So, I went home back to Florida and was still committed to this school, but I still had mixed feelings. One morning I woke from a text from the head coach and in which he told me he was fired and that the assistant was stepping in. After that I had my mind made up, but it was just a lot easier. I called Coach Gonyea and told him the news and he threw the offer at me to come back for a third year and try and make a run for the title. I could get everything I had back and then more. So, I decommitted from there and headed back to Maine for a third year.
This year (my 3rd year) was the best team I've been on since I've been here talent wise and it wasn't even close. In my opinion this year's top 8 guys were one of the best 8 to come through CM. We were extremely good. We had Saquin who was just an absolute monster and nobody could guard him, then you had Nick, Matt, and Mark on the wings that could shoot it, then you had AJ who was 6'7 who could crash boards and stretch the floor, then coming off the bench is Malik is who is a absolute work horse, never gives up, big, big heart and our best defender hands down, and will get down right dirty and also very coachable. He gives all the guys this infectious attitude in which you need in todays game. Then you have me at the point making sure the train is going and we are getting it done. But after a dumb decision during Christmas break, I was bored on campus and decided to go play pick up with some of my friends and ended up hurting my knee again. It popped when I was doing a dribbling move but not a lot of people know this but from the end of my second year on my knee always did this shift or always got hurt but I never said a word because I didn't want to stop playing. So, this time was it. It was not getting better, couldn't move it, couldn't even walk, and then finally my trainers had to send me to a knee specialist. After seeing my trainers and the knee specialist it was all good feedback meaning that they all did not think it was that serious. So, they scheduled me for an MRI, and I had to wait a few days to get my results. In that time, I'm extremely impatient, nervous, scared all in one. Then one day after practice, my head trainer Bob walked down the hallway and came to the gym door and waved me to come out because he had my results. But as soon as I opened the door and looked at Coach Gonyea and then him, I just knew this was not going to be good. He looked at me and said "yeah so we got the results back and they are not good. You tore your ACL and majority of your meniscus, so you are done for the year." I immediately walked away down the hall in shocked, crying, because I did not want to believe that. I was literally playing normally on it, so it did not make any sense at all to me. I walked outside and I broke down on the phone with my parents because I could not fathom or grasp the news I just heard. I did it again. I have to go through this again. 12 grueling months of hard therapy and nonstop grind to get back before my senior year again. So, I walked back in and coach met me at the door and hugged me and just let me cry and cry and finally calmed me down and said "yes, it's for real, you're okay. We are going to get it fixed and get back to normal." From there my doctor called me and told me and went more in depth on what he read and told me from looking at it that I was playing with all torn for 8-9 months and it finally gave out because my body was so strong that my muscles compensated for it. I scheduled my surgery about 4 days later and I was beyond scared (anyone would be who needs to have surgery) and I kept telling myself that I have come way too far to just give up now. I can't let my parents down, the guys that look up to me, my best friends back home, my entire city, and everyone at the school. One thing about me is that my work ethic when I want something is very sickening and I never give up. Where I'm from people don't really make it out. So, where I am in right now in my life is a blessing and I thank god every day that I'm in the position I am right now. So, I had my surgery February 5th and now as I type this I am on the road to recovery. I'm currently at 5 months and about to be at 6 months in which I am super excited for that because I can finally start doing basketball related things and get back to my normal self and just transform everything.
To sum up this year is that it was one hell of a ride. I learned a lot of things about myself and other people that I will carry on for a lifetime. I have met people who mean so much to me and always will no matter where life takes me. I wish the events that took place didn't take place, but I guess the saying is true "everything happens for a reason". So, this injury tested me in every possible way and thank god for Malik, Will, AJ and the rest of my guys, the coaches, and some of the staff as well. Because if it was not for them, I would have given up and went into a dark place because I was completely devastated but they made sure I didn't give up and to always think positive and look at the bigger picture once all this is over. I appreciate every single one of them from the bottom of my heart because they saved my career and brought me back up. I'm forever grateful for them and don't know what I would do without them.
To sum up my entire time at CM is that it was the best decision of my life. Not only from the basketball aspect but from the life aspect as well. Thank you coach for taking a kid that was lost in Florida and had no clue what was going to happen and making his dream come true. Also, thank you to Coach Dixon for finding me and calling me and giving me the offer and making sure I am always good no matter if he left CM or not. Thank you to my past teammates and even my former teammates. I love you guys and you guys can always contact me no matter what. I grew up as a man and changed my mindset and the outlook on a lot of things because my mindset was to survive where I'm from. But now I see the finer things in life and understood people and things for what they are. I learned things that will help me throughout my life, and I'll have a successful life as well. I learned to never ask for handouts, always work for everything no matter what, work hard, and always be a leader. Because you never know who is watching you. The basketball part of it is that you always have a chance to keep getting better and better. I gotten better as a player and as a leader. I learned that it's okay to have help. Having everything right next door and can go in whenever I want was a major blessing for me. The biggest part of the basketball piece is that it's a brotherhood/family. Your teammates instantly become your brothers because you go to war everyday with these guys and you are shedding blood, sweat, and tears for the same goal. You spend every single day with them on the court, the apartments, going places with them and so on. But I know everyone wants to know why I didn't take none of the scholarships and why I decided to stay all 4 years is because of multiple reasons. I know what I have here, I know I won't find anything like this, I got the key to the gym and weight room, I can use it no matter what, my relationship with Coach Gonyea, the family bond, and then the last thing is that I can make my dream become reality from here as well. I'm a big fish in a small pond and that's what coach always said to me. So, I am thankful for my time here and can't wait for my senior year and what the future holds!
